Deformable foot support for shoes and method of making the same



Slept. 14, 1937.4 Q H, DANlELS 2,092,910

DEFORMABLE FOOT SUPPORT FOR SHOES AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME FiledDec. 24. 1955 Patented sept. 14, 1937` PATENT oFFlcE DEFORMABLE FOOTSUPPORT FOR SHOES f AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAME Claude H. Daniels,Wellesley Hills,`Mass.

Application December 24, A1935, Serial No. 56,009

` 13 Claims.

may be made separate from or built into the shoes and may extend thefull length of the foot, threequarter length to include the instep andheel, the heel only or may be in the form of a bolster for the instepportion only of the foot. According to my prior disclosures the footsupports are in the form of envelopes having moldablel or flowable llingmaterial therein which is retained in such state until hardening isdesired to retain the foot impression.

It is an object of the present invention to initially make a footsupport in the form of an envelope having a ller in a non-moldablestate, but of such a character that it can be softened or made moldablewhen desired so that a foot impression may be taken and retained as theller sets or hardens, if and when desired.

Another object of my invention is the method of making foot supports inwhich the filler in the envelope is transformed to a rigid or semi-rigidstate by injecting ingredients into the ller while retained by theenvelope to produce a chemical reaction or to otherwise cause hardeningor setting of the filler.

It is further an object of the present invention to discloseimprovements in the method of lasting shoes whereby foot supports may bebuilt into the shoes.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a foot impression shoe partially shown insection;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View of a last and a shoe on the last; A

Fig. 3 is a plan view partially in section of foot support, and;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section taken on the plane indicated 4 4 in Fig.3.

According to my invention, a foot support may be built into a shoe by animproved method of lasting. In Fig. 2, I is a standard last for thedesired size and style of shoe, but a special plate l2 is applied to thetop of the last and may be retained in place by the screws I4 or othermeans. Preferably the plate I2 is substantially the same size as thefoot support to b e used. The upper I6 is lasted to the insole I8 andoutsole 20 in the usual manner, thus forming a pocket or recess in theshoe which is below the normal level of the insole. 'I'he foot supportcomprising the envelope 22 and ller 24 is inserted in the pocket orrecess and the shoe is `finished as in Fig. 1 A sock lining 28 or asuitable heel piece may be used as shown, but is not required. Due tothe added thickness of the foot support the height of the heel 30 may besomewhat reduced to compensate therefor by eliminating one of the heellifts 32, whereby the finished shoe will tread substantially the same asa shoe lasted in the normal manner upon the last III without using thespecial plate l2.

Figs. 3 and 4 show in detail the foot support which is built into theshoe of Fig. 1 or which may be used as a replaceable foot support forinsertion in previously iinished shoes. The foot support comprises anenvelope 34, preferably of flexible or inelastic material which isstitched as at 36 to form the envelope. The envelope has a sealingcoating 38 over the inner surface thereof; the sealing coating ispreferably applied to the outside of a stitched envelope which is thenreversed to the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4. 'I'he filling material 40may be inserted in the envelope in a plastic state, as disclosed in myprior applications, or in a dry, finely Adivided state, whereby thematerial is flowable but not necessarily moldable, or in the form of arigid block. The lling opening of the envelope may be sealed as at 4l.In order to provide for the exhaustion of residual air or the injectionof solvents, chemical hardening agents or other ingredients, theenvelope has a button 42 of sponge rubber applied to the inner surfaceand the outer side of the envelope is suitably marked as at 44 toindicate the center of the sponge rubber button. If a sock lining orheel pad 46 is used, an opening 48 may be formed therein immediatelyabove the center of the sponge rubber button. When it is desired towithdraw the residual air from the .envelope or to inject ingredientsinto contact with the ller, a hypodermic syringe is used or some othersuitable instrument which has a hollow needle that may be punchedthrough the envelope and the sponge rubber button. Latex may be appliedto the opening 48 in the sock lining or to the outside of the envelopeof the foot support so that as the needle is withdrawn the latex willseal the hole, although the sponge rubber itself may form a satisfactoryseal.

A preferable method of forming the foot support consists in forming anenvelope of a suitable size, as above described, inserting a block offiller such as plastic wood into the envelope and sealing the fillingopening of the envelope. 'I'he hard lling material may be softened byinjecting a solvent as above described, and the residual air exhaustedfrom the envelope. The filler will then be retained in a plastic statefor a long period of time. The envelope and filler is placed in the shoeeither in a rigid or moldable state. The foot impression is made whilethe ller is moldable and by pimcturlng the envelope air is admitted toevaporate the solvent and to cause fast hardening of the ller when andif desired to retain the foot impression.

The filling material used for the foot support may be of such acharacter that`the .change from a moldable state to a form-retainingstate is either a reversible or irreversible process. For example,certain compositions harden as a solvent is allowed to evaporate or isdriven off by heating and can be resoftened by again adding the solvent.Other materials set or harden by a chemical reaction and can not bereadily resoftened. Fusible or thermoplastic materials arereversible'since they can be resoftened by heating after they havehardened from a plastic state.

The lling material may be capable of molding at normal temperatures orat elevated temperatures.

The filling material may be made initially in a plastic state and beretained `in such state in a sealed envelope until hardening is desiredor the filling material can initially be in a non-plastic state in theform of a solid block which can be softened by adding a solvent or byheating. 'Ihe filling material could also initially be in a finelydivided form whereby the material is iiowable or displaceable but notplastic or moldable in the usual sense. Such finely divided material maybe caused to set or harden by adding Water or a chemical hardeningagent.

The filling material may be converted to a hard rigid body which willretain the foot impression or to a semi-rigid or elastic body which willsubstantially retain the shape to which it has been molded.

Various compositions may be made which will be reversible between amoldable state and a hard i state and generally include a filler, abinder and a volatile solvent. As the solvent evaporates the mixturebecomes hard and non-plastic, but by adding solvent the hardened massmay be resoftened. Other materials may be present in the mixture such asnon-volatile solvents, and plasticizing or stabilizing agents. A goodexample of such material is the so-calied plastic wood described inGriiiith Patent No. 1,838,618, as disclosed in my prior applications.

Among the illers that may be used in finely divided form there may bementioned, cellulose or mineral material such as wood, paper, cork,cotton, starch, clay, talc, silica, graphite, gypsum, asbestos, horn,bones, pumice or the like. The fillers may only be present in smallproportions or may not be used at all if mixtures are made of thedesired consistency whichv will harden as desired. y

The binders may be synthetic or natural resins 0r other similar materialsuch as cellulose esters, urea, phthallic acid, phenol condensationproducts, rubber or substitutes, coumarone, casein, shellac, gums,pitch, asphalt and waxes such as paraflins, ceresin, etc.

'Ihe volatile solvents may be simple alcohols such as methyl, ethyl,butyl and amyl alcohols; ethers such as ethyl or glycol ethers; esterssuch as the simple acetates; ketones such as acetone, methyl or ethylketone, etc.

The non-volatile solvents may include essential oils such as linseed oiland fish oil esters such as the phthalates, acetates and tartrates,camphor, glycerin, etc.

'I'he foot support envelope may be lled with a composition which isnon-plastic or non-moldable in its normal state, although if thecomposition is in a finely divided state, it may be to a certain extenttlowable or displaceable under pressure oi' the foot so as to take theshape of the foot. The composition may be of such a character that it isconverted by a. chemical reaction to a form-retaining shape upon theaddition of other elements in a liquid or gaseous state.

For example, the filler for the flexible envelope may comprise variouscement compositions which set or harden either in a short time or over along period of time. The rate of hardening may be controlled by usinginert llers together with the cements or by adding other elements whicheither hasten or retard the hardening of the comcomposition. Suchcompounds as zinc oxide, zinc chloride, copper oxide, tin oxide,leadoxide, aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, silicates and suifates can beused with binders such as phosphoric acidor glycerin. Water isy added tosuch compositions as set in the presence of water.

Thus, the envelope may be filled with plaster of Paris or calcinedgypsum in a finely divided state. When it is desiredl to harden thefiller and retain the foot impression water is injected into theenvelope. The envelope could also be filled with litharge or leadsulfate, which sets and hardens when glycerin is injected into theenvelope. The water, glycerin or other substance may be injected intothe envelope by a hypodermic syringe in the same manner as the solventabove described, or in any other suitable manner. Amalgams of variousmetals with mercury form compositons which may be molded and which willset and harden to retain foot impressions that have been made thereon.

Organic polymers or condensation products could be used as llers such ascoumarone, casein, gelatin, indene polymers, vinyl acetylene polymers,condensation products of phenol, phthalic acid, etc., which set orharden in the presence of glycerin, formaldehyde or phosphoric acid.'I'he hardening agents may be injected into the envelope when it isdesired to cause hardening of the filler.

Rubber compositions may be used as the illler having suitable hardeningagents mixed therewith, and accelerators to increase the rate ofhardening may also be present. Benzine may be used as a. solvent toresoften the hardened rubber. The rubber ller may merely harden to anelastic but form retaining state or the hardening may be carried to sucha stage that the rubber will be a rigid block. Chemicals could beinjected into moldable rubber compositions used as the ller which wouldreact to produce heating and hardening of the filler.

The envelope material is preferably sealed by a coating of materialwhich is unaffected by the filling material retained by the envelope.For example, if acetone is the solvent used for softening the llingmaterial, the envelope may be coated with latex, while if benzine is thesolvent to be used the coating would be of celluloid. The envelopematerial is preferably flexible but nonelastic and is preferably offabric, although thin exible metal could bc used.

Various other lling compositons could be used as the lling materialwhich require heat treatment to harden or soften, and such compositionshave been specifically described in my application, Serial No. 56,010led on the same date as this application, and describing improvedstructures and methods for heating the foot supports to produce physicalor chemical changes of the filling material.

It is to be understood that the foot supports may be used in a moldablestate as long as desired and other forms of foot supports can be madewhich will be deformable under the pressure of the foot and tend toforce the bones of the foot back to their normal position. For example,moldable clays or putties may be used as the ller in the flexibleinelastic envelope or finely divided material or liquids or gases. Theenvelope could be in the form of a. bladder into which air or othergases are pumped past a suitable valve or materials may be placed in theenvelope which react to form gases which will retained by the envelope.

The method of lasting above-described has certain advantages even iffoot supports are not used. If a certain style of shoe is to be madewith a lower heel it is not necessary to make up new lasts, instead, theold lasts can be modified by the addition of plates, as above described,so as to lower the heel seat of the shoes, and lower heels are applied.

Instead of placing the foot support above the 'insole it could be placedbeneath the insole, especially if the insole is of lightweight, flexiblematerial or has been perforated or slashed to make it more iiexible.

I claim:

l. The method vof making a foot support with the impression of anindividual foot, which consists in forming a block of material capableof being converted to a moldable condition, placing said block while ina non-plastic state in an envelope, converting said block to a plasticmoldable mass by the injection of an agent through a wall of theenvelope into contact with the said block, molding said mass to theshape of a foot 40 by applying the foot to the outside of the envelopeand finally causing hardening of said mass to retain the footimpression.

2. The method of taking a foot impression which consists in preparing acomposition capable of being transformed from a non-moldable state to amoldable state and from a moldable state to a non-moldable state,placing said mass in a non-moldable state in a retaining envelope,transforming said composition while in said envelope to a moldable stateat normal atmospheric temperature, applying the pressure of a foot tosaid envelope to make the foot impression thereon, and finallytransforming said compositori to a non-moldable state to retain the footimpres- 5 sion.

which consists in preparing a composition that sets and hardens in thepresence of water, filling an envelope with said composition in a drystate, adding water to said composition while it is retained in saidenvelope to produce a plastic 0 mass, taking a foot impression whilesaid mass is in the plastic state, and finally permitting setting ofsaid mass to retain the foot impression.

5. The method of taking a foot impression which consists in preparing amixture of material that may be converted to a non-plastic state by achemical reaction, filling an envelope with said material in a drystate, adding an ingredient to said material while it is retained insaid en velope to produce a plastic mass and a chemical reaction whichcauses said mass to harden, and taking a foot impression while said massis plastic, whereby said impression will be retained as the masshardens.

6. The method of making a foot support which consists in forming anenvelope, inserting filling material into said envelope in anon-moldable state, injecting a fluid substance into said envelope toconvert the filling material to a moldable state and exhausting theresidual air from the envelope, whereby the filler will be retained in amoldable state for a long period of time.

'1. A foot support comprising a flexible envelope and a filling insertretained by said envelope initially in a non-plastic state but capableof being softened by a solvent to a plastic state, said envelope havinga sealing coating which is insoluble by the solvent for the fillinginsert.

8. 'Ihe method of making an article for taking impressions whichconsists in forming an envelope of flexible, inelastic material, fillingsaid envelope with material in a non-plastic state, and adding aplasticizing agent to the filling material while retained by theenvelope to obtain a plastic, moldable article.

9. The method of making an article for taking impressions which consistsin forming an envelope of flexible inelastic material, placing a fillinginsert in a non-plastic `state in the envelope, sealing the envelope,withdrawing the residual air from the envelope and injecting a solventthrough the envelope into contact with the insert to soften the insertto a moldable state.

10. The method of making an article for taking impressions, whichconsists in forming an envelope of fiexible, inelastic material, fillingthe envelope with material in a finely divided state. sealing theenvelope, and adding an ingredient to the filling material whileretained by the envelope to produce a plastic mass.

' 11. An article of manufacture having the outline of a portion of afoot comprising an envelope of flexible material, filling materialretained by said envelope capable of molding in the presence of aplasticizing agent, said envelope having a, button of yieldable materialthrough which the plasticizing agent may be in- Jected.

12. An article of manufacture having the outline of a portion of a footcomprising an envelope of flexible material, a sealing coating on th'eenvelope, a rubber button in a top wall of the envelope through which anagent may be injected into the envelope, and filling materialof asolvent, softening said material while enclosed within said envelope bya solvent, making a foot impression thereon while the material isplastic and causing evaporation of the solvent to harden the materialand to retain the impression.

CLAUDE H. DANIELB.

